CUYAMACA COLLEGE (Press Release) – The Jurassic period ended approximately 145 million years ago, but it still holds valuable lessons about natural resources in use today, as the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College reveals in its new Jurassic Garden exhibit.
The new exhibit reminds visitors that the fossil fuels used to satisfy our modern day energy demands were created from extinct dinosaurs and other animals, and that the planet’s water supply is the hallmark of recycling–we drink and use the very same water used by living things millions of years ago.
Cycads (palms of the period) are planted throughout, and both life-sized and interactive elements make it fun to learn about a period when giant dinosaurs roamed the earth. The exhibit includes a dig pit filled with fossils to be uncovered by budding scientists, a dinosaur research station, and dinosaur cutouts that compare the size of humans to dinosaurs. Actual sized footprints of an Allosaurus dinosaur, spaced out to its genuine length of stride, give the impression that the giant reptile just ran through the exhibit.
The Jurassic Garden is the brainchild of the Water Conservation Garden’s educational mascot, Pam Meisner, a.k.a. Ms. Smarty Plants, a former employee of the Natural History Museum with extensive experience in experiential education.
Under her direction, Eagle Scout Justin Atkins, and his family, constructed the new exhibit as part of a scout project. Opened in 1999, the Garden is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting water conservation in the landscape through excellent exhibits and programs that educate and inspire the public. Over 15 educational exhibits and gardens demonstrate the beauty and practicality of drought tolerant gardening for the San Diego region.
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Preceding provided by the Water Conservation Garden